Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that the rough treatment dished out to Theo Walcott in the Champions League by Dynamo Kiev is to be expected, but has also called for referees to offer the England International the right protection.
19-year-old Walcott received some harsh treatment from Kiev left-back Andriy Nesmachniy in the Ukraine, with the youngster seemingly singled out after his superb hat-trick against Croatia in England’s World Cup qualifier.
However, while Wenger understands that there is a physical side to football. The Frenchman has insisted that a line must be drawn between fair play and all out assault.
“That is always the way of a player who gets a reputation for being dangerous. The first answer he gets is harsh treatment,” said Wenger.
“We do not expect any presents from anybody - but we want as well the right protection from the referees."
“You do not want to put any special pressure on the referees - but it is all in the rulebook.
“If for example you allow the first bad tackle then the second one becomes difficult for the referee.
“I thought that on Wednesday night, the target was not the ball.
“What is most important is that if a guy plays hard it is down to Theo to deal with it - but if the guy targets Theo as an individual, he has to be punished."
Arsenal managed to return from their trip to the Ukraine with a point after captain William Gallas scored a late equaliser, with the Gunners travelling to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton Wanderers in their Premier League match on Saturday.
Wenger has insisted however, that his Emirates side must focus on the task in hand and any fatigue from their long trip to Kiev must be ignored.
“It will not be an issue because we do not put that in our brain,” Wenger said.
“You want just to keep the focus as we had it at Blackburn and Kiev.
“Let's get the maximum out of the game and let's win the game. You don't consider fatigue or not.
“When you are a competitor you want competition - so you cannot complain when you have competition that you are tired.
“It is a fantastic opportunity because when you are a football player you want to play football matches."
Wenger also revealed that Gallas used to be a striker when he was younger, which has helped him be in the right place at the right time to score crucial goals for Arsenal, since his transfer from Chelsea.
“He was a striker when he was young and you can see he has the nose to be where you have to be at the right moment,” said Wenger.
“If it is a corner or a deflection, William Gallas is there.
“He has kept something of a striker and that comes out in these desperate situations.
“The biggest quality of a striker who scores goals is exceptional skill or through anticipation and understanding where the ball will be."
“I am convinced that in a game like Kiev it was an important goal, because coming back from Kiev with a defeat or with a point, it is a completely different perspective.”
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